


in the event of heartbreak, run

by five_lanterns



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Furuhashi being An Angsty Dramatic Shit, Genderfluid Character, Gift Fic, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, KiriDai Shenanigans, KiriDai!Mibuchi Reo, M/M, Mayuzumi being Done™, Mentioned polyamory, Post-Winter Cup, Pre-Extra Game, Sad with a Happy Ending, Trans Male Character, feat. akashi's teikō fuckups, headcanons are my thing, ish, shittily written, sorta?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 21:58:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9143800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/five_lanterns/pseuds/five_lanterns
Summary: “Sei-chan?”“Is this where you were the whole time, Mibuchi?” Akashi asked, flanked by Nebuya, Hayama, and Mayuzumi. “Kirisaki Daīchi? If you were going to leave Rakuzan, I would have suggested one of the Three Kings, at the very least.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [issawip](https://archiveofourown.org/users/issawip/gifts).



> bless u sid, ur an amazing friend and a better pife!!! you're a wonderful human being and i rlly appreciate how you're there for me!!! u always forgive me when i procrastinate in writing comments, and this fic too lmao (HAPPY SUPER LATE BIRTHDAY!!!! i made this extra long cuz it's for ur birthday and christmas and new years). i feel completely awful that this fic got to u so late and ur too nice to me and said it was ok that i got it to u later and i'm sorry that this fic isn't even that good but i hope it's less shitty than the past year. sid ur one of my best friends, and we're basically married so have this fic to express my love for u!!!!! <333333love u
> 
> (i am rlly sorry about being super late with this)
> 
> small notes:  
> \- as per sid's request, reo is gender fluid, so his/her gender will be changing throughout the story.  
> \- i made furuhashi a year younger than he is in canon. you'll see why towards the end!!!  
> \- japan's school year starts in april. u should probably keep that in mind, but it's not rlly that important  
> \- uhhhh, sorry in advance for this whole fic. this is my first fic so i'm rlly not sure how good it is, especially since i wrote it while being tired af (also: wtf is characterization and can i eat it)  
> \- and because i'm tired af, i also probably have spelling mistakes!!!! if u catch one, it would be rlly nice of u if u could tell me in the comment. or any punctuation of grammar mistakes, because i'm still not to good at those tbh (???? tense?????what's that??)  
> \- TW: one mention of suicide, one mention of depression, one mention of internalized nb-phobia
> 
> also!!! shoutout to harazaki for helping me out a little on my characterization!!! thanks for ur help!!!! and honestly, thank u to my other pife, bruxism, for helping me out too!!

Seirin broke a lot of things.

 

And no, Reo wasn’t just talking about one of Kaijō’s basketball hoops. After witnessing Kagami Taiga’s spectacular dunks, Reo could safely ascertain that _that_ particular rumor was true.

 

No, Reo was talking about things like Sei-chan’s suppression of his original personality, or the last of the tension between the Generation of Miracles, or even Rakuzan’s impeccable record of victories.

 

Things like his heart.

* * *

 Well, that was awfully dramatic. Reo did love his romance novels, after all. And besides, it would be unfair of him to blame Seirin for breaking his heart. Afterall, the only one from that team who was at truly fault was Furihata Kōki.

From what Reo knew, Sei-chan had been texting Furihata-chan for quite a while before they actually got together. They had first officially met during Kuroko-chan’s birthday party, sometime after the Winter Cup. From there, their relationship had gone from text messages to video calls to monthly visits. Of course, as Sei-chan’s closest friend, Reo had known of their correspondence from the start. He had been there when Sei-chan was nervous about asking Furihata-chan out, because despite what most people thought Sei-chan would fret about these kinds of things in his own way. Reo was there when Sei-chan first introduced Furihata-chan to Kotarō and Eikichi, and had personally took Furihata-chan aside to reassure him that Sei-chan’s feelings were genuine. Reo was there when Kotarō wanted to spy on their dates, and was even there when they inevitably got caught by Sei-chan, and had to drag Kotarō and Eikichi away so the couple could enjoy their date in peace.

 

But Reo wasn’t in the habit of lying to himself, or pretending that it didn’t hurt.

 

The small glances that Furihata-chan would shoot towards Reo and Sei-chan when they talked were painful because no matter what Furihata-chan thought, Sei-chan never saw Reo as anything more than an older sibling, and what use was Reo’s beauty if the man he loved wouldn’t return his feelings? How could Furihata-chan ever be jealous of of Reo if he had everything and everyone Reo wanted? How could he? _How could he?_

 

But that wasn’t fair to Furihata-chan. Reo may have beauty and intelligence in spades, but clearly Furihata-chan had things Sei-chan wanted and Reo didn’t have. And besides, Sei-chan was _happy_ . If anyone deserved happiness, it would be Sei-chan. After everything Sei-chan had gone through, he deserved a loving boyfriend and supportive friends. Sei-chan deserved to have a _normal_ boy to dote on, and Reo was anything but normal.

 

Reo had always been weird and alone, because being a girl on some days and a guy on other days certainly wasn’t normal, and being the star of the basketball team couldn’t even change that. And on some days Reo would ask the coach for the keys to the gym so he could practice after school and he would shoot three-pointers until he could barely pick up the ball. Basketball seemed to be the only thing there for him- it didn’t matter if he was a girl or a guy, as long as he put the work into it, his basketball would make him happy, and make other people happy too. And after meeting the other prodigies of his generation, and being recognized as one of the top players in the basketball circuit, maybe he wouldn’t be so lonely. Maybe basketball might yet save him.

 

But that was not to be. The Generation of Miracles smashed through teams like rice paper, and not even the newly dubbed Uncrowned Kings could stop their advance. Player after player, ace after ace quit in their destructive wake, and Reo looked on as Eikichi and Kotarō were silenced, as Teppei-chan was halted at his tracks, and how even Mako-chan was left gritting his teeth with narrowed eyes. Overshadowed as they were, the Uncrowned Kings had their own pride, and the Generation of Miracles had grinded it into the dust like the rest of the teams that dared to oppose them.

 

Of course, when Rakuzan had scouted the Kings to their prestigious school, Teppei-chan and Mako-chan had been the only ones to decline. Reo certainly wasn’t going to turn down an such an offer, and maybe a scholarship to a school as reputable as Rakuzan would actually make his parents see him for once. Because Mother and Father simply hadn’t know what to do with a child like Reo, a child whose gender could change multiple times a week, and who would rather play basketball than learn how to carry out tea ceremonies. They had never really seen Reo for who he was, and seemed to look through him whenever they spoke, only seeing their strange daughter and her strange ways. Staying in Rakuzan’s dorms was hardly an inconvenience to Reo or the rest of his family.

 

Which was quite unlike Furihata-chan’s family, who had supported their son’s sexuality from the very beginning. They had welcomed Sei-chan with open arms, and treated him as their own, and celebrated his achievements and insisted he sleep over when it got late and brought him treats to take back to Kyoto and _loved him-_

 

Well, Reo’s family would never be able to do any of that.

 

And for all the people Reo talked to, Reo didn’t have that many friends, did he? There was Eikichi, Kotarō, Sei-chan, and maybe even Mayuzumi-san, Teppei-chan, and Mako-chan, but not many other people beyond that. Everyone was wrapped up in their own affairs, while Reo was stuck watching romance bloom at the sidelines. Kotarō and Eikichi were exploring the bounds of their newfound relationship, and Sei-chan and Furihata-chan were as in love as ever. Last time he checked, Teppei-chan and his point guard, Izuki-chan, were trying to persuade Junpei-chan to join their relationship, and Mako-chan and Mayuzumi-san were the same as ever.

 

But why can’t Reo be happy that everyone is happy? One could be perfectly happy without a hint of romance in their life, as shown by Mayuzumi-san, so why couldn’t Reo be the same? Why can’t Reo be happy with the way things are, and be happy with everyone else?

 

But Reo already knew the answer to that.

 

It hurt. It hurt a lot. Reo, arguably the most beautiful of all his friends, but third wheeling all their relationships despite of that. He was surrounded by all this love, but he couldn’t manage to feel any of it. If anything, Reo would say that he hated it. And how horrible was that? In the midst of his friends’ happiness, of _Sei-chan’s_ happiness, Reo could only hate Furihata-chan, hate everything he had, hate everything he could do, and hate not being in his place.

 

Furihata-chan jealous of Reo? What did Reo have to be jealous of?

 

Reo was not fine. But he would pretend to be fine until he _was_ fine, and nobody would notice anything. He will not ruin Sei-chan and Furihata-chan’s relationship, he will not ruin his friends’ happiness, and he will sit and watch as he always has, and he _will be fine_.

 

He will be fine.

* * *

_From: Mibuchi Reo_

_Can we meet to talk? I need some advice concerning Sei-chan. It shouldn’t take too long._

* * *

 “Please tell me this is not about your extremely obvious crush on Akashi,” he said as soon as she sat down. “I mean, I honestly can’t believe that no one’s noticed yet, especially considering that Akashi’s the only person you gave a nickname. But we honestly can’t expect that much from Nebuya or Hayama, probably because they’re too busy being gay idiots.”

Reo smiled weakly, and absentmindedly brushed off her skirt. “Yeah, they’re not very good at noticing things. And almost everyone is the basketball circuit is gay anyways, and at least half of them are also idiots, but I digress. Do you have any advice for me, Mayuzumi-san?”

Mayuzumi sighed, and took a fortifying sip of his chocolate milkshake. “Honestly, I don’t even know why you’re even talking to me. I’m sure that there are many other people that can give you much better advice than me anyways.”

Reo shrugged, an elegant lift and drop of her shoulders. “You’re observant, and you’ve spent a lot of time with Sei-chan. He spent all of last year teaching you, so you must have picked up a thing or two.”

Mayuzumi snorted. “No one knows what’s going on in that guy’s head, much less me. Before, he was a stone-cold bastard with issues and an unhealthily codependent relationship with winning, and now he’s a goddamn saint in comparison. Who’s dating that tiny chihuahua from _Seirin_ of all schools, for chrissakes. I might’ve picked up a few things from him before, but none of that applies now. But you know that, don’t you. So either get to your point or leave, Mibuchi,” he said, closing his light novel abruptly.

Slightly taken aback, but unsurprised by Mayuzumi’s outburst, Reo sighed. “I think you understand more about him that you may think. And besides, I’m asking you for advice about what _I_ should do, not about how to break up Sei-chan and Furihata-chan. I was thinking about transferring schools, but I’m wondering if that’s too drastic of an action to take over a simple crush. Honestly, I’ll take any advice you have,” Reo murmured, before turning to a nearby waiter and ordering a cup of tea and two strawberry tarts.

“Changing schools is a pretty big decision to make,” Mayuzumi said, staring at Reo contemplatively, milkshake and book all but forgotten. “And there’s obviously more to it than just a crush if you’re thinking about transferring schools, but that's not my business. It’s true that you can transfer, but that’s kinda of expensive unless you get a really good scholarship to another school. And one with board too, unless you have relatives in the area. And not to mention that it’s your last year in high school. This isn’t something you can decide lightly, and frankly, it’s probably not a good idea at all,” Mayuzumi warned.

“But you’re not saying that I shouldn’t do it,” Reo said.

“No,” Mayuzumi admitted. “I’m not.”

“Then why do you think I should do it?”

“Besides getting away from the reasons why you’re angsting at a former teammate? Well if you apply to the right school with the right program, you could potentially make your college application look better than if you stayed at Rakuzan, depending on what you want to go into. You could also get a better scholarship or more privileges at a different school, and not to mention you could even ask for the position of captain if they like your reputation enough,” Mayuzumi shrugged. “There’s plenty of reasons to leave and plenty of reasons to stay. I’m not going to make your decision for you, but this is something you can do,” Mayuzumi eyed Reo shrewdly. “And you do realize that this is probably going to hurt Akashi and your other teammates’ feelings. That isn’t something you’re going to be able to avoid.”

“And that’s a sacrifice I’m prepared to make if I go through with this,” Reo said calmly. “And that’s not something you’re really worrying about anyway, Mayuzumi-san.”

“Damn right,” Mayuzumi said. “But it’s something that you’re going to worry about. Personally, I couldn’t care less about what happens to the others. They can go fuck themselves.”

“ _Mayuzumi-san_ ,” Reo chided.

“What? There’s nothing to like about any of them. Spending time near Hayama and Nebuya literally lowers my IQ. And I definitely don’t understand how you have a crush on _Akashi_ , especially before he-” Mayuzumi gesticulated vaguely, “-changed, I guess you could call it.”

Reo smiled, but it fell a little flat. “We were never very nice to you, were we.”

“Not really. But I didn’t really care anyways. It’s not like I was on the basketball team to make friends or anything.”

“Yes, but we should have treated you better,” Reo disagreed. Mayuzumi merely shrugged again, and returned his attention to his milkshake.

Swallowing the last sip of tea, Reo placed the correct amount of money to cover his snack on the table. “Thank you for your advice, Mayuzumi-san,” Reo said politely, rising from her chair and brushing a few stray crumbs off her skirt. “And you have my sincere apologies for the way I treated you last year.”

Mayuzumi nodded mutely, and opened his light novel again as Reo turned and left.

 _Fucking basketball_ , Mayuzumi thought. _It wasn’t nearly this dramatic last year._

* * *

 And slowly, Reo began to pull away from her friends. She spent more and more time reading during lunch instead of talking, and encouraged the two couples to spend more time with each other. She discreetly texted Furihata-chan about spending more time with Sei-chan to make him less stressed about the upcoming finals. And since finals were coming up, everyone was studying more, which only worked in Reo’s favor. She liked to study in her dorm room, as it was quieter than the library, and more private.

And more privacy meant that she was free to research without her friends accidentally catching a glimpse of something they were not supposed to.

* * *

_From: Mibuchi Reo_

_I’ve decided on a school._

* * *

 After the last day of school, Reo vanished.

* * *

 Reo walked through the entrance and weaved his way through the crowd of students, many of them handing out flyers and promoting their respective clubs. He took his time looking at the recruitment tables for various clubs, and stopped in front of the art club table for a long time to admire a particularly well-depicted painting of a maple tree in the fall. Afterwards, Reo continued on, momentarily pausing to snag a mochi sample being handed out by the cooking club.

Several minutes later, Reo finally caught a glimpse of what he was looking for. He adjusted the straps of his school bag, straightened his uniform, and confidently made his way to the basketball recruitment table.

“Hello, Mako-chan,” Reo greeted, meeting the shocked eyes of his new captain. “I would like to join the basketball team.”

“How come _you’re_ here?” Hanamiya asked, mildly incredulous, before tucking away his shell-shocked expression. “I wasn’t aware that the _Yasha_ would be joining our humble team instead of Rakuzan’s this year. What brought about this change?”

“Oh, Kirisaki Daīchi has a good arts program, and I thought that you might be lonely all by yourself here, without a Miracle to keep you company,” Reo beamed, settling himself in his chair. “And who are you two? I haven’t greeted you properly yet, have I? Why don’t you introduce yourselves?”

His expression completely deadpan, and with eyes like Mayuzumi-san’s in blankness to match, the boy on Hanamiya’s left nodded at Reo. “Hello, Mibuchi-san. I’m Furuhashi Kōjirō.” The boy on Hanamiya’s right grinned, “Heya, Mibuchi-san. I’m Seto Kentarō, the vice-captain. Nice to meet you.”

Reo smiled, and small flowers bloomed around him. “It’s nice too meet you too, Seto-chan and Furuhashi-chan! What positions do you play? I play as shooting guard, but you-”

“Enough. Mibuchi, why are you actually here,” Hanamiya snapped.

Reo pouted. “Mako-chan, I told you already. You don’t need to be a tsundere about me being here, you know. Try to be a little happier about me being here, will you?”

Hanamiya snarled. “ _No_ , you fucking idiot. Why did you transfer at all?”

Reo waved his hand dismissively. “I felt like I needed a change, so my parents let me transfer schools. They said it had to be in either Tokyo or Kyoto, and this school has the best arts program. So I’m here now. No need to be rude about it, Mako-chan.”

Hanamiya sighed and rolled his eyes, before grabbing a pen and signup form and handing it to Reo. “Alright then, just fill this out and hand it in during tryouts, which will be on Thursday at 3:15. Don’t be late.”

“Of course not!” chirped Reo, before pausing halfway down the form to look at Hanamiya. “Oh yeah, I thought there was something that I forgot about,” Reo said, as his smile sweetened. “I won’t be participating in any rough play.”

Hanamiya slowly raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about, Mibuchi? We don’t do rough play on this team.”

Reo leaned forward, and his smile widened. “Of course you don’t, Mako-chan. But I’m just telling you now that I will refuse to do it. I mean, everyone else can do it all they want, and I won’t interfere. Just don’t force me to do it, or you may not like the results.”

“And what puts you in the position to threaten me,” Hanamiya asked, a strange kind of smile making its way onto his face. “I’m the current coach and captain of this team, and I don’t really think that you have any authority to threaten me with.”

“Oh, of course I don’t have any authority here,” Reo said. “Perish the thought. But I _am_ the _Yasha_ of the Uncrowned Kings, and many schools would offer me better things than just membership for my abilities. But here I am, offering not to interfere with your rough play, and only asking not to be forced to do the same in exchange. Are you really going to turn down this offer? Because I am prepared to transfer schools again if you do.”

Hanamiya nodded slowly. “Not bad, Mibuchi. Very well. I accept your terms, under the stipulation that this agreement be broken if you voluntarily interfere in any way, whether it be by joining us or by talking to someone else about it-”

“No,” Reo interrupted. “I will agree to not informing any authorities of this school or otherwise of your behaviour on court, but I will doubtlessly be speaking about this to other people around my age, whether it be to my friends or opponents. The rest of the terms, I accept.”

“Alright, Mibuchi, those will be the terms of agreement. I’ll see you at the first gym on Thursday,” Hanamiya dismissed.

“O-kay, see you later Mako-chan!” Reo said, all smiles and cheer once more. “You too, Furuhashi-chan, Seto-chan!” And with that, Reo got up from his chair and disappeared into the crowd astonishingly quickly for someone over 180 cm.

* * *

 “-and first string, Mibuchi Reo. Third string, head down to the third gym. Second string, second gym. First string, stay here.”

Several members of the second and third strings shot awed looks at Reo, either recognizing him or admiring him for making it into first string. Reo was about to wave to a particularly nice boy that he talked to during tryouts, but was interrupted by a purple-haired boy that popped his bubble gum and slung an arm over his shoulders. “I didn’t really believe Furu-chan when he said that the _Yasha_ was here, but it looks like I’m wrong!” the boy exclaimed, sounding delighted. “Oh, and I’m Hara Kazuya, by the way. I play as power forward. Nice to meetcha!”

Carefully disentangling himself from Hara, Reo smiled back at him “Hello, Hara-chan! It’s nice to meet you too! Would you mind introducing me to the rest of our fellow teammates?”

“Sure thing, sweet-cheeks! Over there by Hana-chan is Secchan, and then over there is Furu-chan, Yama-chan, and Itsu-chan, but he pretty much keeps to himself. He’s only really here because he’s good enough to be on first string…” Hara trailed off, before Furuhashi walked over to them. “Hey Furu-chan! What’s up?”

“I hope Hara isn’t bothering you,” Furuhashi said to Reo. “He’s an idiot, so he says a lot of stupid things that you shouldn’t pay attention to.”

“Furu-chan, you’re always so mean to me,” Hara lamented. “Could you be nice for just today? Please?”

“No,” Furuhashi deadpanned. “Mibuchi-san doesn’t need to be exposed to you for too long. I’ll go introduce him to everyone else.” Reo waved goodbye to Hara as Furuhashi steered him away. Hara looked supremely disappointed, for some reason.

The two walked up to an orange-haired boy who was on his phone. “Yamazaki, this is Mibuchi Reo-san. Mibuchi-san, this is Yamazaki Hiroshi, our current shooting guard. Please do not start fighting over who’s the better shooting guard or something equally idiotic, or Captain will verbally decapitate you.”

Yamazaki rolled his eyes. “Shut up Furuhashi, I know. I don’t really mind being bumped down from a starter, but I’m not dumb enough to pick a fight about basketball with the _Yasha_.” He scowled a little as Reo preened. “But is it really true that Captain’s okay with you not participating in the rough play?” he asked.

“Yup! Mako-chan said it was fine, as long as I don’t tattle on him to a teacher,” Reo said.

“Huh,” Yamazaki cocked his head, “lucky you.”

“We get the point Yamazaki,” Furuhashi scowled. “Mibuchi-san, that’s about everyone you need to know. Seto or Captain will tell you anything else you need to know.”

“But what about him?” Reo asked, pointing towards a relatively tall boy with a buzzcut standing by himself. “Who’s he?”

“Oh, that’s just our center for the first half of games,” Hara said, jogging over to the trio. “His last name’s Itsuki, and I’m not sure what the hell his first name is, but it’s not important.” He leaned towards Reo, his voice dropping into a dramatic whisper. “Did you know that Captain had to _blackmail_ him into not telling anyone about the dirty play? Can you _believe_ -”

“Shut up Hara, no one cares,” Furuhashi interrupted. “And anyways, we should go to Captain and Seto, they look like they’re finished with whatever they’re talking about.”

And with that, Hanamiya snatched Seto’s sleeping mask from his hand as Seto moved to put it on.

“Everyone gather up!” Hanamiya shouted, holding his clipboard in one hand and the mask in the other. “Alright, so we obviously have a new member. This is Mibuchi, he’ll be the starting shooting guard from now on. Anything you need us to know, Mibuchi?’

Reo grinned as everyone looked at him. “Not much! Please call me Reo, and I go by he/him pronouns today. Please take care of me,” he bowed.

Hanamiya gave Reo a swift, assessing look for a moment. “Would you prefer to change in a different room besides the locker room?”

Reo nodded. “That would be appreciated.”

“Alright, so just follow me after practice,” Hanamiya said as he tossed Seto’s sleep mask back to Seto. Seto yawned, and snatched it out of midair as Hanamiya barked “I want to see ten laps around the court! Get to it!”

“Thanks, Mako-chan!” Reo sang as he started his laps.

“Reo, five extra laps!” Hanamiya shouted back.

Reo pouted, before speeding up and finishing his laps, extra ones and all, before everyone else.

* * *

_From: Mibuchi Reo_

_I’m settling into Kirisaki Daīchi pretty well, and I’m making friends with the rest of the first string! Want to meet sometime soon? I’ll treat you to a chocolate milkshake._

* * *

 “ _I’ve_ heard that Kise Ryōta’s dating Kuroko-chan _and_ Kagami-chan,” Reo divulged, flicking through her weapons.

Hara gave a theatrical gasp, which quickly turned into a groan as Yamazaki gunned him down from somewhere above. “ _Goddamnit_ , Yama-chan, could you stop only shooting me? Go shoot someone else,” Hara grumbled, and tossed his controller onto the ground. “Hana-chan, take over for me?”

Hanamiya sighed. “Fine.”

“Stop ignoring me,” Reo complained. “Don’t you want to hear about Kise and Kuroko-chan and Kagami-chan’s threesome?”

“Sure,” said Yamazaki, “ but how does that even _work_ ? I mean, we all know that Kuroko and Kagami were together beforehand because every basketball player in Japan knows that they’re really fucking gay for each other since forever, but how does Kise come in? He doesn’t even go to their _school_.”

“Well,” Reo began,“ _apparently_ Kise’s been pining after Kuroko since their middle school days, and started hanging out with Kagami and Kuroko after the Interhigh. And then _Kagami_ started pining after _Kise_ , which somehow got _Kuroko_ to start liking Kise. I think Izuki-chan and Kaijō’s old shooting guard got them together. Forcefully.” Reo paused for a moment, and was promptly stabbed by Furuhashi. Reo hissed under her breath, but continued anyways. “I _think_ they were locked into Kagami’s bedroom or something, but I’m really sure about the details. I think that’s also how Izuki-chan got together with that shooting guard.”

Hara groaned from his position on the couch. “ _Another one_ . Geez, how many boyfriends does Izuki _have_?”

“Three,” Reo answered promptly. “I’m not sure how that shooting guard, I think his name’s Moriyama, but I’m not sure how he fits into the Seirin threesome or if he’s only Izuki-chan’s boyfriend,” Reo quickly ran behind a building as she respawned, and made her way up a flight of stairs. “Maybe Izuki-chan will tell me if I ask nicely.”

“And if he doesn’t you’d probably have a better chance asking Kiyoshi about it,” Hanamiya commented, and lied down on his stomach to play, inadvertently giving everyone sitting near him a view down his shirt. Reo clicked her tongue.

“Mako-chan, do you _have_ to sit like that? You’re flashing everyone.”

“What? Calm down, they’re literally just boobs. You’ve got them too.”

“I _know_ , but that’s not the point, Mako-chan. What if everyone doesn’t want to see them?”

Hanamiya snorted. “Trust me, everyone wants to see them. Do you see anyone else complaining?”

Reo frowned petulantly. “ _Mako-chan._ ”

“ _Reo,_ ” Hanamiya mocked, “stop making this such a big deal. I’ve got boobs, you’ve got boobs, everyone here knows we have boobs, end of story.” He punctuated his remark with a burst of gunfire, and Seto cursed.

“Fucking-”

Furuhashi quietly sniggered at Seto’s misfortune, but abruptly cut himself off when Reo crept up behind him and shot him down.

“Hey Yamazaki, I’ll give you my bag of chips if you cover me,” Furuhashi bribed.

“Deal,” said Yamazaki, and stationed himself on top of a building near a spawning point. Furuhashi respawned, and made his way to the forest, Yamazaki hastily following at a distance. Moments later, they hid behind trees as the sound of gunfire came from in front of them. Reo put down her controller and sniffed disdainfully as Hanamiya killed her again.

“Hara-chan, you can take over for me.”

“With pleasure,” Hara grinned, popping his bubble gum. He took the controller from the ground, and minutes later, he had successfully managed to gun down both Hanamiya and Furuhashi.

* * *

 

Several hours later, Hanamiya put his controller down and stretched, revealing a toned stretch of stomach. Hara looked over and whistled, and Furuhashi managed to pull his eyes away from the sight to take advantage of the distraction and vengefully stab Hara.

“We should go to bed otherwise you will all be completely worthless tomorrow,” Hanamiya said, picking up his controller and pausing the game.

Hara mock-wailed, but put down his controller anyways. “Alright, I have three guest bedrooms, and we can pair up, or we can all sleep on futons in my room or in here.” Hara shrugged, “I’m down for either option, so you guys can pick whatever you want to do.”

“Futons,” Seto said immediately. “I don’t wanna move.”

“Of course you don’t,” Furuhashi muttered.

“Futons,” Reo said, smiling unnaturally cheerfully for the time morning it was.

“Futons, so we don’t have to deal with the major shitstorm that’ll happen when we try to pair up, not to mention who’ll get the last room,” Yamazaki pointed out.

Hara clapped his hands. “Okay, so that’s decided. Anyone want to help me get the futons and pillows and shit?”

* * *

“This is really fucking gay,” said an unfamiliar voice from somewhere to the left and above.

Hara groaned, and buried his face in his pillow. “Onii-san, I _am_ gay. Shut the fuck up and let me sleep.”

“I dunno,” said a younger voice, “it’s kinda cute, I guess. I’ll take a picture if anyone wants it later.”

Yamazaki grumbled, before wriggling out from between Furuhashi and Seto, both of whom were still sleeping. “Smaller Hara, please don’t,” he said, before stumbling his way out of the room, past the two siblings, and to a bathroom.

Reo sleepily sat up, and slowly got out from underneath the covers. “Thank you for letting us stay over, older Hara-chan and younger Hara-chan,” he yawned. “Where is the nearest restroom?”

Hara’s younger brother wordlessly pointed down the hallway, before leaving the room. Reo followed him, momentarily pausing to fish his cosmetics and toiletry bag from his belongings.

* * *

 

On the train back to Kirisaki Daīchi, Hara and Yamazaki bickered about the merits of having a knife versus having a pistol in first-person shooters while Hanamiya read a book. Seto had his head tilted back and his sleeping mask on, and Reo checked his various social media accounts on his phone. Engrossed in the latest drama between the Generation of Miracles, Reo hastily suppressed a flinch as Furuhashi nodded off against his shoulder.

Looking over, Yamazaki grinned, and nudged Hara, who pulled out his phone with a smirk and began taking pictures. Reo made a peace sign at the camera, careful not to shift too much.

* * *

 

_From: Mibuchi Reo_

_I know that you’ve figured out which school I transferred to, so could you please figure out a way to keep the news from getting out after our next game? I’ll tell you exactly what’s happening at Yōsen lately, and I’ll even throw in a gift card to that card shop you like on Nakano Broadway! Please I’ll love you forever!!! And say hello to your tsundere boyfriend for me!_

* * *

 

The “Light and Shadow” of Shūtoku were an impressive sight to behold, even more so than last year. Though Shūtoku had lost three-fifths of their starters, they had become a force possibly as formidable as they were last year, with their ace’s renewed resolve, and their new captain’s forceful personality, not unlike that of Kasamatsu Yukio (who was now vice-captain of the of team STRKY to Imayoshi’s captainship, which...did not really come as a surprise to Reo, considering their relationship. He’d have to remember to call Imayoshi-chan and ask about that, because Momoi-chan kept hinting about _something_ going on there).

And of course, one couldn’t underestimate Shūtoku’s newly-appointed vice captain, who was certainly much more crafty than anyone gave him credit for. It was only due to his strategies that Shūtoku had manage to secure a victory against Kirisaki Daīchi at all, because for all that their team and Miracle had been fierce and tenacious, two Uncrowned Kings and one of the top teams in Tokyo had provided a rather large hurdle in their pursuit of Interhigh victory. Takao Kazunari was no Miracle, no Uncrowned King, no genius, but he used what he had (his keen eyesight and clever, clever mind) to drive him, his Light, and his team to victory.

It was Shūtoku that knocked Kirisaki Daīchi out of the running for the Interhigh, and Shūtoku that would go on to place third in the Interhigh.

* * *

 

_To: Mibuchi Reo_

_I tried my best to keep the news in, and I made sure that Shin-chan and the other Miracles that were at the game didn’t tell Akashi. I think that I’ve got the news hushed up with my contacts, but Akashi’s network is probably passing down the information anyways. Sorry!!!! I might be able to keep him from coming to meet you for maybe a month, but don’t count on any longer than that._

* * *

 

_To: Mibuchi Reo_

_I hear that you transferred over to Kirisaki Daīchi! You’ve probably heard about it already, but I’m in America getting treatment for my knee right now. I hope you’re having fun with Hanamiya! Say hi to him for me!_

* * *

 

Reo didn’t slam the door shut on his way out, but it was a near thing. A few blocks away from his home, he pulled out his phone.

“ _What the fuck do you want, Reo._ "

“Can I stay over at your house tonight? If your family’s okay with it.”

“ _...fine. You know where my apartment is, right?_ ”

“Yes. Thank you, Mako-chan.”

“ _Sure._ ”

* * *

 

Hanamiya opened the door to let Reo in his apartment, looking extremely displeased. His expression didn’t soften in the face of Reo’s downcast appearance.

“Thank you for having me,” Reo murmured, and Hanamiya heaved a sigh.

“Makoto-chan? Is that Mibuchi-kun?” asked a kind-looking woman, who exited another room, smoothing out her apron.

“I apologize for intruding,” Reo said politely, “and thank you for having me.”

Hanamiya’s mother, who looked remarkably like a more cheerful, older version of her son with straight bangs, smiled at Reo. “It’s no trouble, Mibuchi-kun. Makoto-kun’s friends are welcome here anytime.” Hanamiya almost snorted, but held himself back as his mother’s gaze flickered over to him.

“Why don’t you two head to Makoto-chan’s room, and I’ll bring some snacks in,” she said, nudging her son down the hallway before heading to a separate room, presumably the kitchen.

Hanamiya walked down the hallway without further prompting, and Reo followed Hanamiya into his room.

Hanamiya’s room was a efficient, tidy space with desk, chair, and bed. There was a small bookshelf on one side of the room, opposite of the desk. Hanamiya gestured to the chair, and reclined on his neatly-made bed.

The two boys sat there in silence for several minutes, and were only interrupted by Hanamiya’s mother, who knocked lightly on the door and brought in a plate of cookies, and left with a small smile at her mildly disgruntled son.

Hanamiya sighed again, and momentarily got up from his bed to grab a book from off his bookshelf and flipping to a random page.

Another several minutes went by before Reo spoke.

“My parents have never really opposed how my gender changes,” he began. “They’ve never really said anything about it, to be honest, so I’ve generally left the whole topic alone with them. So they haven’t really talked to me about it, but all of a sudden,” Reo laughed bitterly, “they’ve decided that I should stop “playing around” with my clothes and just make up my mind. Pick male or female and stick to it.” Reo tilted his head down, letting his hair cover part of his face. “I didn’t mind them ignoring it, but I don’t get how they can be okay with me being male but not okay with me switching between male and female. I don’t get it.”

“Then they’re fucking idiots because it’s not that hard to understand,” Hanamiya cut in. “They’re clearly not good parents if they can’t realize that much or at least do the research, so just ignore them. They can’t make you do anything. You’re in your last year of high school, and you generally live in the dorms anyways. Even if they did pull your college funding, I’m sure that you can find a good scholarship program that’ll pay for everything anyways.” Hanamiya huffed. “Now calm down, bring the cookies over here, and stop angsting.”

Reo dried his eyes, and his lips visibly twitched upwards. “Sure, Mako-chan.”

Hanamiya didn’t complain as Reo sat down on his bed, nor when Reo took a cookie.

* * *

 

Hanamiya’s mother cracked open the door a hair an hour later to the sight of Reo and Hanamiya draped over each other, the now-empty plate of cookies on the desk, and the two boys both reading in Hanamiya’s bed. She turned and closed the door silently with a soft expression on her face.

* * *

 

_To: Mibuchi Reo_

_Hi Yashacchi!!! Thanks for the advice for dealing with Aominecchi!! He’s finally stopped freaking out about me and Kagamicchi and Kurokocchi, so hopefully he’ll make a move or say something soon. I’ve convinced Akashicchi to leave you alone until after the Interhigh, but right after that he’ll definitely show up at Kirisaki Daīchi, so be careful!!! Pleasure doing business with you!_

* * *

 

Reo was laughing as he and his teammates were walking towards the bus back to school after a game. It was a Friday, and they had won their game by a landslide, so they were planning on stopping by the convenience store to stock up on snacks, when Reo’s laughter stuttered to a stop.

“Sei-chan?”

“Is this where you were the whole time, Mibuchi?” Akashi asked, flanked by Nebuya, Hayama, and Mayuzumi. “Kirisaki Daīchi? If you were going to leave Rakuzan, I would have suggested one of the Three Kings, at the very least.”

At the sight of the Rakuzan regulars and one of their former members, the Kirisaki Daīchi team surrounded Reo protectively and positively glowered at the newcomers.

“Coming here was my own decision,” Reo said, scrunching up the ends of his Kirisaki Daīchi letterman jacket with his fingers. “Please respect that it is the choice I have made.”

“Reo-nee, why did you leave?” Hayama asked. “Did something happen? Did we do something?”

“You didn’t do anything,” Reo said, unable to keep all of the gloom out of his voice. “And that was it.”

Akashi sighed. “Mibuchi, that’s not a concrete answer. If we did something wrong we would like to know about it, and if there are any issues that caused you to transfer they can be resolved. We were worried after you disappeared after the end of last year.”

“I left because I couldn’t stay,” Reo murmured. “And I couldn’t stay because I couldn’t bear it. I _had_ to leave Rakuzan, and my parents told me to pick a respectable school in either the Tokyo or Kyoto areas. Picking Kirisaki Daīchi isn’t something I regret.”

Akashi raised an eyebrow. “ _Respectable?_ I do not believe that Kirisaki Daīchi is a school that most would call respectable, considering their penchant for dishonorable conduct on the court. I didn’t think you were the kind of person to to join a team with such a reputation, Mibuchi.”

Reo opened his mouth to respond, as did Hanamiya, but someone beat them to it.

“Hello, Akashi Seijūrō-san, captain of the Generation of Miracles,” Furuhashi said, making his way in front of Reo, looking uncharacteristically furious. “My name is Furuhashi Kōjirō. I don’t suppose you know who I am.”

A little taken aback, Akashi cocked his head. “You would be correct. I do not know who you are. May I enquire as to why you are speaking to me?”

“I am speaking to you because you are being a hypocrite,” Furuhashi said bluntly, while Nebuya and Hayama recoiled, looking at him in horror. “You have absolutely no right to speak about “dishonorable conduct on the court”, as you call it.”

Smiling frigidly, Akashi responded, “Oh? Tell me, why don’t I have the right?”

“You don’t have the right because of what you did to my old team, you bastard,” Furuhashi snapped. “You destroyed us, and most of us never recovered. Almost all of us ended up diagnosed with depression, and our point guard tried to kill himself. Say what you want about Kirisaki Daīchi, but we never caused anything as traumatic as _attempted suicide_.”

Akashi and the rest of the Rakuzan players stiffened, while the Kirisaki Daīchi players smiled grimly, with the exception of Mibuchi, whose gaze had skittered away from the Rakuzan players.

“And of course, my former team was of Meikō Junior High,” Furuhashi continued. “I was the starting power forward, which you obviously don’t remember. I don’t know if you remember Ogiwara Shigehiro either, but he was our ace, and the starting small forward. And Kuroko Tetsuya’s best friend.” Furuhashi snorted. “Obviously being friends with any of you Miracles is a terrible idea if that’s how you repay them. I mean,” he shrugged, as Akashi noticeably flinched, “Ogiwara taught Kuroko how to play basketball, y’know. And look where that got him. A broken childhood friendship, the loss of his favorite sport, and a year of therapy.” Furuhashi spread his hands, “and you say Kirisaki Daīchi is _worse_ than the Generation of Miracles? Please. The worst we did was Kiyoshi Teppei, and the only thing it really would’ve done was _physically_ not let him play basketball for a year or two. Nothing like what you monsters did to Meikō, or the rest of the middle school basketball circuit to a lesser extent. You-”

“ _Kōjirō,_ ” Reo said quietly. “That’s enough.”

Furuhashi whirled around, snarling. “Don’t tell me that he doesn’t deserve to know what he did to everyone, Reo. That fucker doesn’t know what-”

“ _I know_ , Kōjirō, but I think he understands now. And if he doesn’t, then he’s heard enough so that he will ask around and understand eventually. This is for you, not him, so let go, Kōjirō. He knows.”

Furuhashi fired one last scathing glare at Akashi, before nodding in acquiesce to Reo and turning to leave in the opposite direction of the Rakuzan students. Reo looked at Akashi’s unnaturally pale expression and bowed shallowly at him “I apologize for Kōjirō’s manner of delivery, but not for what he said. I think it’s something you should know, Sei-chan,” Reo said, shrugging a little helplessly. “Maybe you should talk to Kuroko-chan sometime so he can explain everything. And probably the rest of you Miracles too, because Takao-chan told me that Midorima-chan doesn’t remember what he did either. But anyways, it was nice seeing you, Sei-chan,” Reo gently smiled, before doing to same to Hayama and Nebuya. “Nice seeing you too, Kotarō, Eikichi.” Reo then performed a shallow bow to Mayuzumi, much to everyone’s shock. “Thank you again for your advice, Mayuzumi-san. It was nice seeing you again.”

Mayuzumi snorted. “I didn’t even want to be here in the first place. I guess I’ll see you around, Mibuchi,” he said, before turning and leaving his former teammates. Reo watched him go with a bit of a fond expression, before waving at the Rakuzan students and walking away. The rest of the Kirisaki Daīchi turned to follow him, but Hanamiya paused before joining them.

“Akashi-san, you’re a pretty careless guy,” Hanamiya said conversationally. “For all that your so-called “Emperor Eye” can see, you’re pretty blind to the people around you. You should probably hope that it doesn’t become a problem again, if only for your friends’ sakes.”

And with that, Hanamiya turned and left as well.

* * *

 

_From: Mibuchi Reo_

_Hey Furihata-chan, it’s been a while! I’m sorry that my reason for contacting you is to pass on bad news, but one of my friends told Sei-chan about all the terrible things he and the Generation of Miracles did during middle school, and Sei-chan’s pretty shaken up about it. Could you talk to him? Maybe Kuroko-chan could join you two as well._

* * *

 

“Why didn’t you tell me that he transferred after you found out?”

“And why would I tell _you_ , Akashi? I’m not your senpai anymore. I have no obligation to you or the other two idiots whatsoever.”

* * *

 

_To: Mibuchi Reo_

_Thank you for telling me! I’ll definitely have a talk with Sei and Kuroko!!!! Maybe we can meet up sometime, if you’re not too busy?_

* * *

 

“I think I’ve gotten over him,” Reo said one day, all while scribbling down an answer in her literature homework. “I mean, the other day when he saw us, I thought that I feel something when I saw him. Like sadness, or longing, or something.” Reo paused and tilted up her head to contemplate the side wall, before returning to her homework. “But I didn’t really feel anything. I was nervous that he was going to be mad at me, and I was a little sad because I missed everyone, but that was it. And after Kōjirō spoke to him, then I just felt kinda of bad. And disappointed, because Sei-chan was just a real human after all.”

“Of course he’s a human,” Hanamiya snorted. “He’s a shitty excuse of one, but he is human. Possibly more than the rest of us, if you wanna get philosophical about his mistakes.”

Reo shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, while I didn’t exactly put him on a pedestal, I think I did put some unrealistic expectations on him. And to be honest, Sei-chan is probably best off without any kind of expectations on him at all, which is probably why Furihata-chan is so good for him. He doesn’t really expect Sei-chan to do much besides be a decent human being.”

Hanamiya hummed noncommittally. “I still don’t really understand what Akashi and that chihuahua see in each other, but each to their own, I suppose.” Then he snorted. “Even if your own is stupid.”

“Mako-chan,” Reo chastised. “Don’t be rude. And there’s a lot of good in each other for both Sei-chan and Furihata-chan to see. But that’s not my point. I think I wanted something to fix,” she said, “and Sei-chan, with all his poise and talents and cold exterior, was something I thought I could fix. Which, of course, didn’t work out because Sei-chan hadn’t needed to be fixed in the first place.”

Hanamiya slowly looked up from his textbook. “Is that why you chose Kirisaki Daīchi in particular? Did you think you could-” he sneered, “- _fix_ me? Make Hanamiya Makoto redeem his _despicable_ ways?”

Reo’s head snapped up abruptly. “Of course not! Mako-chan, there’s nothing to fix about you-”

“Then why the fuck did you come here!” Hanamiya exploded. “And don’t give me that bullshit about our art program- I know that Seihō’s art program is just as good. I knew that you didn’t approve of rough play from the beginning, so why _here_?”

“Because I knew you!” Reo shouted, and stood up from where she was sitting, propped up against Hanamiya’s bed. “I knew that you were an Uncrowned King like me, and I knew that you understood what we lost because of the Generation of Miracles! You’re smart enough to keep my new school to yourself, and you’ll accept how my gender changes! There’s so many reasons to join, Mako-chan, and not everyone who does something for you has ulterior motives!”

“And no matter what you say, you’re still stuck on _Akashi_ and your old Rakuzan teammates, aren’t you? I saw how you looked at them! You went all fucking _insecure_ and _scared_ and if Kōjirō wasn’t there to yell at Akashi, you probably would’ve-”

“I _just told you_ I don’t like him anymore, what more do you want, Mako-chan? A signed admission of how I feel?”

“You _transferred schools_ over a fucking _crush_ , Reo, what do you think? You think that I’d believe that-”

Reo wordlessly snarled, grabbed ahold of the back Hanamiya’s neck to smash their lips together. Hanamiya grabbed her hips bruisingly tightly in retaliation, and they fell into Hanamiya’s bed.

* * *

 

When Hanamiya walked into practice the next day, Seto took one look at him began to guffaw. “Pay up, Captain totally got laid last night.” Hara began cursing loudly as he fished several bills out of his pocket and slapped them onto Seto’s hands. Yamazaki did the same with a grumble, and Furuhashi unobtrusively slipped a single bill into Seto’s pocket.

Hanamiya scowled. “What the fuck do you mean, bets? Thirty laps-”

“Hello, everyone!” Reo chirped as he skipped into practice. Hara whooped, and Seto began laughing again. Hanamiya momentarily spluttered at the exposed hickey on Reo’s neck while the rest of his team collapsed into hysterics.

“ _What_ _the fuck_ , Reo,” Hanamiya said, and looked to the ceiling, utterly defeated. “ _Why_.”

Reo merely beamed in his direction, and Hara began to cackle.

“ _Thirty-five laps,_ ” Hanamiya growled.

Reo cheerfully jogged over to plant a kiss on his cheek, before beginning her laps. Hanamiya shot her a poisonous glare as the rest of the team began snickering again.

“ _Forty laps.”_

The entire team groaned, but continued jogging.

* * *

 

_To: Mibuchi Reo_

_Mibuchi-san, thank you for initiating the conversation that Furihata-kun and I had with Akashi-kun. Though Furuhashi-san’s delivery could have been kinder, I believe that Akashi-kun will learn from his past and strive not to repeat it. Furihata-kun would also like to express his thanks for informing him about what happened._

* * *

 

“After some consideration, I came to the decision that despite his many skills, the position of vice-captain has not been a position that Seto has been suited for, something that all of the first string, myself, and Seto himself has agreed upon. Therefore, Seto and I have decided to shift the vice-captaincy to Mibuchi Reo, who has not only proven to be worthy of the position, but also has previous experience with it. Everyone, please treat our new vice-captain with respect.”

“Yes, Captain!” the basketball club chorused.

“I’m honored that I have been given this position, and I assure you that I’ll do my best to help bring victories to the club,” Reo beamed, causing a couple boys standing close to him to near-swoon.

“Thank you, Reo. I look forward to working with you,” Hanamiya said, smiling his mock-kind smile, and shook Reo’s hand firmly.

“I look forward to working with you as well, Makoto,” Reo said, and smirked back at Hanamiya, who wiped the surprised look off his face between one blink and the next.

“Thank you everyone,” Hanamiya said, turning back to the rest of the basketball club. “Back to normal practice. We have the Winter Cup to win!”

As the second and third strings filed out cheering, Reo quickly snuck a peck on Hanamiya’s cheek. Almost all of the rest of the first string began sniggering, and Hanamiya let it go on for two seconds before snarling at all of them to get to warm-ups and to stop wasting time. Reo smiled at his team, and thought, _leaving was a kindness_ and  _I’m glad it was them _.__

Hanamiya snapped at him to start warming up with everyone else, and Reo loped across the gleaming court to join them.

“Coming, everyone!”

**Author's Note:**

> small notes:  
> \- not really satisfied with the ending, tbh  
> \- btw hanamiya was surprised at the end cuz reo actually called him by his first name!!!!  
> \- if u couldn't tell, reo and hanamiya were assigned the gender "female" at birth. they do not agree with that assignment (well, reo does sometimes)  
> \- ummm, tbh i don't like how the miracles never really realized what they did to other teams during middle school. honestly, they were all being huge assholes and they really deserve to know what they did. i kinda hc'ed what happened to the meikō team, but i wouldn't really be surprised if that was actually what happened considering how traumatic the miragen's game against them was. i could totally see someone passionate about bball become bitter about it and u bet ur ass that hanamiya scouted furuhashi after the teikō-meikō game. sorry for all u akashi fans!!!! if u really don't like furuhashi's rant, u can pretend that he was making it up, i guess  
> \- i mean, what the miragen did doesn't really make what kiridai does ok either  
> \- i live for side pairings, so aokurokagaki is a thing here (u read that right)  
> \- so is izukiyohyuumori.  
> \- i had kise call reo "yashacchi" because "mibuchicchi" is really fucking weird and kise doesn't call anyone by their first name except haizaki  
> \- so reo, takao, kise, and momoi all kinda exchange gossip. and trade favors for it.  
> \- u might've noticed my slighttttt takao bias #sorrynotsorry
> 
> also!!!! i've never really appreciated how much effort fic writers put into writing until now!!! this shit is fucking hard to do!!!! props to all u multi-chapter fic writers, ur amazing!!!!


End file.
